Aviation Charity Air Serv International's Cessna Caravan prepares to depart on a mission to help stem an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Due to the difficulty in accessing some of the at-risk areas, the rugged turboprop will likely prove very useful.

Aviation Charity Assists in DRC Ebola Response

Not-for-profit aviation charity Air Serv International has dispatched one of its aircraft in response to a recent outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Kivu Provence. The Cessna Caravan, loaded with medical staff from epidemic specialists Medicines Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and critical cargo, departed Uganda's Entebbe for a nearly 200-mile flight to Bunia, DRC, just north of the affected area.

The outbreak region is densely populated by approximately eight million people, more than one million of them displaced due to a humanitarian crisis. According to the World Health Organization, 41 people have died from this latest outbreak. Virginia-based Air Serv has a long history of emergency response, bringing aid where needed when no one else can.

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“This is why Air Serv exists,” explained CEO Stu Willcuts, noting that more flights are expected. “We will remain on standby, ready to respond when called.”

All Air Serv flight and aircraft maintenance operations are performed by the organization’s wholly owned Ugandan subsidiary, Air Serv Limited. The charity is requesting donations through its website to help reduce the cost to humanitarian partners for vital transport services. Such donations will allow the organizations to focus more of their budgets on providing services such as health care, shelter, food, and sanitation.